Software-defined cars are here, and the industry turning point is coming!

在OTA市场，初创公司的发展势头也很猛。以Sibros为例，这家成立于2018年的公司，风险投资额超过8,500万美元，谷歌和高通等主要汽车相关公司都是它的投资方。Sibros为其OTA平台建立了一个横跨硬件、硅和云软件领域的合作伙伴生态系统。

目前，Sibros拥有来自10多家合作伙伴供应商的预集成硬件工具包，这些产品已准备好在客户原型评估和验证工作中即插即用。

SDV趋势下的价值链重组和挑战

过去，客户对汽车的体验和感受主要由硬件来定义。未来，软件将从中扮演更重要的角色。这种软件大规模塑造客户体验的趋势，不仅影响汽车产业的开发和运营，而且很可能颠覆现有的商业模式和合作类型。

以智能网联汽车为例，伴随着以软件为导向的产业转型，产业链从上到下可分为纯软件层、基础软件层、工具软件和电子硬件堆栈。从价值链角度来看，价值链两端的应用和算法软件以及软件密集型电子硬件具有相对较高的工业附加值，并将成为主机厂、零部件企业和科技公司关注的焦点。

面向软件并不意味着硬件可以忽略不计。相反，硬件是软件执行其功能的重要载体。特别是软件密集型电子硬件和半导体硬件将在产业链上带来更大的附加值和更多的利润。去年，全球汽车行业开始了以软件为导向的转型。

与过去的转型不同，成本和风险分担的“联盟模式”被进一步打破，逐渐被垂直整合模式所取代。此外，转型空前深化，甚至延伸到原始设备制造商的产品研发流程、组织结构和供应链网络。

SDV是汽车行业的一种新兴趋势，Precedence Research预计，软件定义汽车市场目前的业务价值约为356亿美元，预计到2032年将以19.47%的速度增长，达到2,108.8亿美元左右。

SDV的发展并非没有挑战。要成功实施SDV，汽车行业面临诸多技术和监管方面的障碍。主要体现在五个方面：

一、软件的复杂性

SDV requires a high level of software engineering expertise and quality assurance. It also involves managing large amounts of data and ensuring interoperability between different software components and systems.

2. Update of software architecture

SDV requires a powerful and scalable software architecture that can support different hardware configurations, software modules, cloud services, etc.

3. Software life cycle management

SDV requires a continuous and agile software development process to adapt to changing market needs. Additionally, there must be a reliable and secure OTA update mechanism to provide software updates without compromising vehicle safety or functionality.

4. Software supervision

Throughout the entire development process, SDV must have a consistent regulatory framework that defines the roles and responsibilities of each participant in the SDV ecosystem.

5. Decoupling of hardware and software

In the past, a vehicle's software and hardware were tightly coupled, with features developed and implemented alongside the underlying hardware, and dependencies between components made updating individual software features difficult or even impossible. This is also a very big obstacle that software-defined cars currently face.

The transformation from hardware-based to software-defined cars will be an inevitable trend that will drive the development of the automotive industry in the next 5-10 years. In the process of transforming to software-defined cars, traditional car manufacturers will face multiple difficulties and challenges. New automotive industry participants such as chip suppliers, software suppliers and Internet companies will usher in new development opportunities. The in-depth participation of technology suppliers such as Qualcomm, Nvidia and Blackberry QNX confirms this statement.

As the number of individual car parts decreases, access to software, cloud and OTA updates increases, and new technology company competitors emerge, the roles and products of traditional Tier-1s such as Bosch and Continental will change. The goal of automotive OEMs will no longer be to use the ever-increasing displays in vehicles to synchronize, update and integrate all devices, but to focus more on the intelligence of vehicles and the upgrade of vehicle functions after launch. Software functions will become their product differentiation. important manifestation.

S

DV is a key technology that has brought the traditional automobile industry into a new era. Currently, many automotive OEMs have announced their strategic development roadmaps. General Motors announced it will transition to its Ultifi platform in 2023. Ulitifi is an end-to-end software platform that sits atop GM’s Vehicle Intelligence Platform (VIP) and will allow the use of software-defined features in next-generation vehicles. In 2023, the Ulitifi platform will appear in 29 General Motors models around the world.

As early as 2020, Mercedes-Benz announced that it would replace the original MBUX with the MB.OS operating system, which was a major reform of its MBUX user interface. The new MB.OS will be data-driven and flexibly updateable. In 2024, MB.OS will be implemented on models based on the new compact car MMA platform.

Conclusion

SDV is not a new concept. In fact, today's cars already have millions of lines of code and dozens of electronic control units (ECUs) that control every aspect of the car, such as the engine, transmission , brakes, infotainment, navigation, and more. However, SDV has taken its design philosophy and development platform to a new level by using software as a core element of automobile design and development.

Software-first design helps automotive OEMs produce vehicles that are future-proof and easy to control. Software-defined vehicles redefine vehicle architecture by decoupling hardware and software functions. Leveraging advanced computing platforms, virtualization technology and OTA updates, SDV enables flexible and scalable vehicle systems.

All companies in the industry chain should conduct thorough assessments and make forward-looking plans to find the appropriate path to maintain the initiative in the new industry transformation. In the process of digital transformation, the automotive industry is undergoing a major change, and software-defined cars will become a new milestone in reshaping the automotive industry landscape.

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